eBay said it was “discontinuing a small number of categories within the larger Metaphysical subcategory” based on user feedback that supernatural claims “often result in issues that can be difficult to resolve”.

“It’s important to note that items that have a tangible value for the item itself and may also be used in metaphysical rites and practices (ie jewelry, crystals, incense, candles, and books) are allowed in most cases,” a spokesman added.

Currently magical listings include services from “a genuine witch and spell caster of Irish descent”, “a white magic healing spell” that claims a 100 per cent success rate and “a black magic marriage to hell curse” to break up couples.

eBay is trying to shake off a reputation as a haven for fraudsters, with recent crackdowns on counterfeit software and designer clothing.

Etsy, a website for selling craft goods, issued a ban this week on sales of items that include “human remains or body parts”, including “things such as skulls, bones, articulated skeletons, bodily fluids, [and] preserved tissues or organs”.